Book support



T. J. SMYTH BOOK SUPPORT June 9, 1931 Filed May 5, 1927 v 2 Sheets-Sheet l awvenc oz THOMAS J. SMYTH @51 HIS GHQ (M W 33AM.

T. J. SMYTH BOOK SUPPORT June 9, 1931.

Filed Mav 5, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3H" lill illm u g auoemtoz THOMAS J. SMYTH 851- HIS Qbtoamm I Patented June 9, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE THOMAS J. sMY'rn, or imsrr ELMHURST; LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK Boox sorronr Application filed May 5, 1927. Serial No. 188,896.

This invention relates to a rack for supporting a stenographers notebook adjacent the typewriting machine in convenient position for reading the notes and turning the pa es. 7 j i j ne object of the invention is the provision ofa rack of the character described which is universally applicable in all situations, that is, it is adjustable to various positions and interchangeable from one side of the machine to the other to take advantage, for instance, of different light conditions or for the convenience of either right handed or left handed persons. Accordingly, the rack is carried upon an arm with provision for adjustment with respect thereto and said arm is so mounted upon or adjacent to the machine, as to permit adjustment of it with respect to the machine. I

The invention also seeks provision of a book rack which will occupy a minimum of space when not in use. 'To this end the rack is extensible or collapsible and the arm upon which it is mounted is socarried with or ad jacent the machine that the arm and rack may be folded to lie against the machine to permit the machine andthe base or support upon which it is mounted to be caused to disappear beneath the to-pof the typewriting desk. 7

These and other objects of the invention and the means for their attainment will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, illustrating preferred embodiments of the invention, in which r Figure 1 is a view in front elevation show ing the book rack in operative position, and showing also one manner of mounting the arm upon which the rack is carried.

Figure 2' is an enlarged front elevational view of the rack inoperative position.

Figure 3 is a view in side elevation looking at the rack from the right in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a front view of the rackin folded or'inoperative position.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 but looking from the rear. I

Figure 6 is a view taken on the line 6 -6 of Figure 2, showing the toggle positioning means whereby the book rack is maintained in expanded position. V

Figures 7 and 8 are plan and front elevational views, respectively, of a bracket upon which the arm for the rack may be mounted to permit an adjustment'thereof,

Figure 9 is a detail view, partly insection, on the line 99 of Figure 2. I

In transcribing shorthand. notes with the aid of a typewriting machineconsiderable inconvenience is experienced in reading the notes from anotebook lying'fiat on the desk which supports the typewriter. The present invention seeks to overcome these inconveniences by the provision of a book rack of a size and shape to conveniently hold the usual size stenographers notebook, at a desirable level with respect to the eyes. Accordingly, the stenographers notebook indicated diagrammatically in Figure 1 at 10 is carried upon a book rack, which is mounted'in' 'a manner hereinafter to be described upon an arm 11 mounted or secured adjacent a typewriting machine, indicated in outline in Figure1at12. j

The machine 12 is illustrated as resting,

' by means of rubber feet 18 upon a'desk or other support 14 to which it is secured by hooks 15 engaging the sidebars 16 of the machine 12 and passing through the desk top 14 and drawn down and retained in rigid clamping engagement with the'side bars by means of the nuts 17. This fastening is availed of in many situations as where the typewriter support 14 is adapted to fold with m or disappearbeneath the top of the type- 7 writing desk, as will be understood, and the construction of the rack and supporting arm is so designed as to permit the folding of thebook rack down close to the machine so as not to interfere with themoveme'nt of the typewriter '12 to concealed position;

sible support or back rest indicated as a whole at 21. This extensible back 21 is formed of a plurality of levers 23, 35 and 36 of equal length fastened together in pairs in the form of a pantograph, the ends 22 of the lowermost levers 23 being provided with pins 24 Which areslidable in'slots 25 formed I in theback member 20 of the base 19 and retained therein by the heads 26 thereon.

Carried in a pivot 28 at the center of the first or lowermost pair of crossed levers 23 is a U-shaped positioning member or guide 29"30 the free arm 29 whereof passes up Wardly through the slot 31 formed in the bottom 19 of the base 19 -20. ThisU-shaped member 2930 also carries rigidly secured to the arm 30 a pivot 34 by which the book rack is mounted upon the arm 11 and thus serves a not only as a support for this pivot 34, but also as a'guide for the expansible back 21' since the front arm 29 can only reciprocate in a direction normal to the base 19 because the movement of the U-shaped member 29 30 is determined by the levers 23 and the slot 31. Y r

The rackis illustrated as comprising three pairs of crossed levers 23,35 and 36 but it willbe obvious that any convenient number of levers may be adopted.

To retain the rack 21 1n extended posit on a toggle is provided at the backthereof comprising the two levers 87, 38 which are pivoted at their respective ends to the crossing points of the lowermost and uppermost pairs of levers. This'toggle is of suchlength as to be in alignment, when the levers are fully ex; tended, and the toggle joint '39. as'shown in Figure 6 is provided with a stud or lock pin 7 40 adapted to slip into a cooperating recess 41 formed in the pivot 42 of the central pair of levers .35 and thusretain the toggle in its central position, except when purposely displaced to permit the closing of thebook rest.

The stenographers notebook is adapted to rest upon the horizontal plate or base member 19 and the unturned leaves retained by the vertical arm 29oof the. U-shaped guide 2930. ,At the top, the bookmay be pre vented from falling forward by a pivoted U shaped arm, 44, 45 which is pivoted by its I shorter arm 44 to the upper end, 46of one i that it may be usedon either side of the machine '12, the book rack 10 being supported in the bearing 48 on the upper end, and'the arm'llitself being pivoted for swinging movement by means of the bearing '50 on the lower end. The main portion ll of the arm is adapted to extend upwardly and outwardly at an angle say of about 45 degrees to horizontal, and at each end of this main .por-

tion there is formed a horizontally extending positioning part 51 which includes a portion 52 bent transversely at an angle and then reversely bent as at 53,'wl1ich rever'sely bent part 53 terminates in the pivot bearing (or 48) whereof the axis lies in the plane including the horizontal positioning part 51,

When the arm 11 is in operative position the book rack 10 is, of course, carried by the uppermost bearing and the lowermost bearing, cooperating with a pivot on the typewrlter support, serves to permit the angular movement of the arm and hence affords an additional adjustment of the book rack.

' The arm 11 may be supported as shown in Figure 1 upon the hook 15*which clamps the typewritingmachine 12 to the support 14 or by the means of any screw'or bolt serving the same general purpose. 'If such a support is not available a bracket 55 carrying a pivot 56 for the arm may be provided and such. is illustrated in Figures 7 and 8. This bracket comprises generally a flat plate-55 having a pivot 56 extending upwardly ina substantially vertical direction to receive the lower bearing 50 on the arm .11 and may be. perforated at 57 to receive ascrewf58 or the equivalent to positionthe same on a support 14.; Concentric Withthe pivot there may be formed a curved rack 59 or series of teeth afiording a plurality of notches inone of which'the arm, that 'is, the positioning part 51 of which may be positively positioned to extend in the desired direction. This bracket may'obviously be disposed on either side of the typewriter machine 12 or similar space and permit the machine 12 to be. caused to disappear beneath the top will be understood. o It willthusbe seen that a book, rack has of the desk as been provided which when not in use will 00- cupy a minimumof space but which when in operative position .is capable of being positioned at any angle to the eyes of the operator of the machine most convenient for reading the notes.

Various modifications maybe made in the type of extensible back, in themeans whereby the back may be lockedin extended posiplurality of pairs of crossed levers, the levers of each pair being pivoted to each other at their mid'point and at their ends to the ends of the levers of adjacent pairs, a toggle extending between the mid-points of pairs of levers to maintain the back in extended position, and a pivot carried by the base for re ception in a bearing on an arm.

2. A book rack comprising a base, an extensible back carried thereby and including a plurality of pairs of crossed levers, the levers of each pair being pivoted to each other at their mid-point and at their ends to the ends of the levers of adjacent pairs, a toggle extending between the mid-points of the extreme pairs of levers to maintain the the extensible back, the free arm of the guide passing through the slot and passing out of the slot when the extensible back is closed,

and a pivot carried by the rack for recep THOMAS J. SMYTH.

back in extended position, and a pivot carried by the base for reception in a bearing on an arm.

3. A book rack comprising a base, an extensible back including three pairs of crossed levers, the levers of each pair being pivoted to each other at their mid-points and at their ends to the ends of adjacent pairs, one pair of said levers being carried by the base, a toggle lever secured at its ends to the midpoints of the extreme pairs of levers, looking means between the toggle joint and the mid-point of the central pair of levers to maintain the back extended and means to support said back from an arm.

4. A book rack comprising a base, an extensible back including a plurality of pairs of crossed levers, the levers of each pair being pivoted to each other at their midpoints and at their ends tothe ends of adj acent pairs, one pair of said levers being carried by the base, a toggle lever secured at its ends to the mid-points of the extreme pairs of levers, cooperating devices on the toggle lever and the extensible back levers to maintain the back extended and means 7 to support said back from an arm.

5. A book rack comprising an angle shaped base, an extensible back carried by the base comprising a plurality of pairs of crossed levers, one side of the base being slotted midway between its ends, pivots at the lowermost ends of one pair of the levers secured to the other side of the base by a connection permitting lost motion, a U-shaped guide carried by one arm of the U with the extensible back, the free arm of said guide passing through the slot, and a pivot carried by the guide for reception in a bearing on an arm.

6. A book rack comprising an angle shaped base, an ext'ensible back carried by the base comprlsing a plurality of pairs of crossed levers, one side of the base being slotted midway between its ends, pivots at the lowermost ends of one pair of the levers secured to the other side of the base by a connection permitting lost motion, a U-shaped guide pivotally carried by one arm of the U with 

